Bowlers help India tame Pakistan

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja, and R Ashwin did a good job with the ball while Shikhar Dhawan performed well yet again with the bat as India defeated Pakistan by eight wickets to extend their unbeaten run in this edition of the Champions Trophy. In a rain-curtailed encounter, Pakistan were bowled out for just 165 inside the stipulated 40 overs. Bhuvneshwar (2/19) was the star with the ball, while Jadeja (2/30) Ashwin (2/35) also did well. India's target went through three revisions before they eventually were asked to chase down 102 in 22 overs. India got the required runs with 17 deliveries to spare, with Dhawan scoring a fine 48 and Virat Kohli hitting an unbeaten 22.

India start well with the ball

While the match itself had no bearing on the qualification outcomes - India having already made it to the semis and Pakistan were already out of the Champions Trophy - the fervour surrounding this contest was the same as any other encounter between these two countries. There was drama straight away, after India opted to bowl first and in the second over Nasir Jamshed, whose previous five innings against India included three centuries and a half-century, successfully reviewed a leg-before decision, after Umesh Yadav had rapped him on the pads. However, the opener could not make it count, as he edged Bhuvneshwar in the very next over to Suresh Raina at second slip to depart after having made just two runs.

Wickets fall as rain plays hide and seek

Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez were laying the base for a productive partnership when Bhuvneshwar struck another crucial blow - the Pakistan skipper departed first ball after a rain interruption, nicking to MS Dhoni, who took a fine catch. Pakistan had a further setback as Akmal, who was promoted to open in this game, got out to Ashwin on 21 after Kohli held on to a sharp chance at leg-slip after the ball rebounded off Dhoni's pads. Following this, there was a second rain interruption, which was a long one, and the game had to be cut-short to 40-overs-a-side contest.

Pakistan end up with a below-par total

With only 21 overs available for Pakistan, following the rain interruption, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq kept themselves busy, picking up the singles and twos regularly while managing timely boundaries to take the total past the 100-run mark. Just when they were building a good platform, having raised a fifty-run stand, Jadeja struck to end the partnership by castling Misbah for 22. Ishant Sharma, who was not quite in his elements, managed to bag a wicket when he had Shafiq out caught behind on 41, with a little help from DRS.

Pakistan were in more trouble when Jadeja picked up his second wicket by trapping Shoaib Malik in front on 17, which the Pakistan batsman reviewed unsuccessfully. Ashwin then scalped his second when Wahab Riaz played on to one of his deliveries and departed without troubling the scorers.

The procession of Pakistan batting continued as Ishant bagged his second by getting rid of Saeed Ajmal, while a sensational piece of fielding by Kohli resulted in the run-out of Junaid Khan. Mohammad Irfan was the last man to depart as Pakistan ended their innings with a below-average total of 165, despite Umar Amin helping himself to an unbeaten 27 off 26.

In-form openers give India a strong start:

Chasing a D/L revised target of 168, Dhawan got India off to a good start and was supported well by Rohit Sharma. Boundaries came at ease for the in-form pair, while their running between the wickets was also impressive. The both of them had progressed confidently for a handful of overs without experiencing any hiccups before the rain came down again and the players had to leave the field. On resumption, Dhawan continued scoring runs without much fuss and at a brisk pace, even as Rohit slowed down a touch. The duo went on to bring up their third fifty plus partnership in succession, pursuing a target that was revised again to 157 in 36 overs.

India enter semis in style:

Rohit, who went into a shell after starting off well, departed on 18 when he flicked Ajmal straight to Misbah at short mid-wicket. Following this, there was yet another rain interruption and this time, the rain was coming down much heavier. Be that as it may, the groundsmen did a good job of clearing all the water again and ensuring that the Indian chase resumed in right earnest and when the Indian batters Dhawan and Kohli came out to the middle, they had yet another revised target of 102 to get in 22 overs.

Dhawan continued from where he left off, dealing mostly in boundaries before falling to Riaz two runs short of a half-century. But Dhawan's departure did not affect India's march to victory, as Kohli and Dinesh Karthik knocked off the remaining runs with ease to help India register their maiden win against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, and their 50th victory against their arch-rivals in ODI cricket.

The International Cricket Council made it clear that it had nothing to do with the absence of former Indian captain Ravi Shastri from the panel of commentators for last month's ICC Champions Trophy in England.

Former skipper, Sunil Gavaskar and other ex-cricketers on Tuesday said in unison that one should refrain from drawing comparisons between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his predecessors, insisting instead to rejoice India's success in the ICC Champions Trophy.